


Assassin At Greenbelt 4

by godwyn125



Category: Tekken (Video Games)
Genre: Assassin - Freeform, Gen, Greenbelt 4, Metro Manila, makati, seductress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24941824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godwyn125/pseuds/godwyn125
Summary: DISCLAIMER: This story contains references to real life places. All people and events, in this story, however, are fictional. Any real life event or person construed in this story must not be inferred.This story contains references to illicit drugs. Do not attempt to possess any illicit drug of any kind. This can lead to arrests and jail time!





	1. After-Work Dinners (Part I)

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: This story contains references to real life places. All people and events, in this story, however, are fictional. Any real life event or person construed in this story must not be inferred.
> 
> This story contains references to illicit drugs. Do not attempt to possess any illicit drug of any kind. This can lead to arrests and jail time!

I just got my two weeks’ worth of salary, wondering what my next whim purchase would be. Should I spend it on a dinner out, like I won’t eat at Jollijeep for dinner today? Should I spend it on my pet dogs? I don’t know, but having PHP8,000 in half a month feels. Time to withdraw PHP2,000 and see what comes to mind today, May 7th.

Afterwards, I got a text from an unknown eleven-digit number. If I receive texts from someone I do not know, I could receive texts about investments, loans, and other things that I’d dare not reply to. Otherwise, if they do introduce themselves then I would get texts about paperwork being done already. Someone invited me to a dinner in Greenbelt 4, but I am not sure who that person was. Well, time for an unplanned adventure that will get me out of my rut.

So, I organized the things in my cubicle, said my goodbyes to my colleagues and to those who check my work, then off I go to Greenbelt 4. It was an arduous, 15-minute walk, considering pedestrian traffic there.

I called whoever invited me to that dinner to know where that person was. I heard a strange but alluring voice on the other end of the line. This person, I guess, must be strikingly familiar to me. However, out of courtesy I’d dare pretend not to know who she was. She was wearing a purple Ralph Lauren polo shirt, black slacks and one-inch heels. In effect, she dressed down so that she does not intimidate me.

“Good evening. I’m Godwyn. You’re…?”

“I’m Nina Williams, but you may call me Nina,” and then we shook hands.

I started to act suspicious, me slightly frowning and I paused for about ten seconds. I wonder, “What is she up to? Why me?”

She read my stance, furrowing her brows slightly. It’s as if she was saying “What’s going on with this young man?” I looked decent but awkward as I was staring into the mall shops. “You don’t seem to get out that much, don’t you?”

“Nope. Maybe not this time. It’s the first half of May, and it gets hot like 35 or 36 degrees Centigrade…”

“Hmm…”

An awkward silence followed, with both of us feeling the (conversationally) stale, humid, 32-degree air. We felt as if the air was a sweltering 38 degrees Centigrade. Never mind. It’s the Philippines anyway.

She suggested that we eat at Din Tai Fung right in Greenbelt 4, and I obliged. Time to say goodbye to my PHP2,000! At least I don’t get to eat stale Jollijeep food for a while, right? Right!

I silently thought of my way to get this dinner over with.

“It’s already 6:45 PM and I have work tomorrow. I was thinking of having at most two courses for this meal…”

“OK, but we just first met,” she hesitated, “Can’t you stay a little longer?”

“Alright. I can stay a bit longer.” I was hesitant, staring at my watch and not making any eye contact with her.

Initially, I thought that we order xiao long bao for a starter and some spicy noodles with peanut sauce. “That should satisfy the both of us!” I thought.

“Who gets to pay for this?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s on me. Save your two thousand next time I invite you,” she replied as she drew her wallet toward the table and she brusquely drew out a PHP1,000 bill.

Or so I thought…

“How did you get here? Where are you from?”

“From Ireland.”

“How did you get here?”

“Booked a train from Dublin to London and from London, I booked a direct flight from Heathrow to Manila. You?”

“I’m from Metro Manila so I just ride public transportation from my home city to Makati. I do it every day whenever I have to report to my office.”

“OK. Fair enough.”

“How long was your flight from Heathrow to Manila?”

“Sixteen hours.”

“I cannot imagine flying for that long! I mean the longest flight that I ever flew was four hours at most, Manila to Incheon.”

“I usually ride Business Class or maybe First Class if I feel like it.”

I felt an unusually strong impulse to lecture her on the ecological impact of riding first class. However, I told her that I was interested to fly on Business Class just to experience it.

“Tell me, you _never_ rode beyond Economy Class?” Nina asked, leaning closer to me.

“Never! Never in my memory did I travel in Business Class!”

“So, do you travel by plane?”

I replied, “I do, a few times in a year,” without looking at her.

“Where?”

“Sometimes, out of the country, but sometimes I travel inside the country. Most or all of the time, I travel with my family. I have been to four countries already: Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.”

“Well, I have been to the USA already…”

I cut her off, replying “Wait, I think I might want to go to the US one of these days, or even UK. I don’t know, I am up for an adventure in case I have free time this year.”

“Ah, OK. Perhaps come the December holidays, just ask me if you want to travel with me.”

I clasped my hands, with my fingers tightly shutting out each other, as if I am to pray or to think. This was followed by a sharp remark, “Good suggestion, but I’d think about it,” and me placing my hands that were crossed to each other on the table.

“If you can, tell me by around November so we can arrange it.”

“Have you ever traveled to tropical countries?” I asked.

“I do. The Philippines? Ugh, the heat sucks here, like during March until May, then it can rain really hard…”

“Well, I am from Metro Manila so I am used to this mess. The public transportation can be a mess here in Metro Manila. Imagine that the train system here is designed for about 250,000 people when you have about 15 million locals living in Metro Manila! I wonder if double decker buses would solve the gridlock here.”

“I remember in London double decker buses are the standard.”

“I can imagine those buses, like they can carry about 50-60 people in one go. How I wish we could have services for double decker buses.”

“You can get around London pretty easily, especially if you are on your own. The metro trains are easy to navigate. It’s pretty reliable.”

As we were talking about London’s public transportation being better than Manila’s, I sniffed what seemed to be strong perfume. “Wait… I’m smelling something strong but fragrant.”

Then, irked by me not getting used to Nina’s high-class get-up she slapped my hands jokingly. “Relax, it’s Vera Wang perfume, don’t you wear such high-class perfume yourself?” I was caught off-guard.

“Huh? I don’t know. The only expensive perfume that I remember wearing is a Ferrari. It smells bold, as if I am someone domineering.”

“It might smell good on you! Try another perfume and you’ll smell like a man there!”

She must have sensed my awkward, geeky stare. She told me, “Whatever!”

Our conversation went on and on, basically revolving about public transportation, which place would be the easiest to navigate, the one with the best street food, you name it. All these pleasant conversation topics came to and fro until dinner the xiao long bao is served to us.

I got the first xiao long bao, sipping its piping-hot soup and I put in lots of spicy oil into it. Nina, however, downed her first xiao long bao but I did not mind her. However, she saw my face flush red after eating that spicy piece of dimsum.

She asked me, “Are you into spicy foods?”

“Yep,” I replied. “I got into eating lots of hot sauce when I was 14 years old. Then I moved on to chili flakes and whenever I am in Chinese restaurants, my first extra would be the chili sauce.”

“The weather is already darn hot here! Why eat chili?” she asked.

“I just find the thought of spicing my food up appealing, for ten years!” I told her.

“Well, I don’t know with you… the dimsum tastes great. Shall we try another one, like har kaw?”

“Wait! Before we go on, I’d like to ask if you are allergic to any food.”

“Why?” she asked out of curiosity. “Why are you asking me?”

“I have a sibling who is allergic to shrimp.” I told her dryly.

“Thankfully, I am not allergic to any food.” Nina continued.

“That means we can ‘get away with eating anything’?”

“Maybe, to you. Just be careful with eating too much spice though…” she warned me like a mother to her son.

Then came the noodles with spicy peanut sauce and we divided the noodles equally. _Hating kapatid_ (fair fellows’ share) is what we did. When _actually_ eating the noodles, our reactions were different. I was able to down the noodles, but Nina had to take it slowly as she felt that the spicy noodles were “burning her”.

She asked me, “Gosh, are you used to this kind of spicy food?”

“Yep!” I enthused. I looked at her out of concern. I asked myself, “Should I wait for her, or let alone slow down, in downing my share of the spicy peanut noodles?”

She assured me that she can manage in eating those spicy noodles. “If anything, these noodles taste great!”

“Ha! Ha! Go figure, Nina!” I retorted.

Then after the dinner, Nina told me that she will line up for the both of us at the cashier. After paying for our meal, she told me that we will see each other after “some time”. However, I told her “Nina, I need to go! I could get stuck waiting for the public vans!” while staring the exit of Greenbelt 4. We just traded goodbyes anyway.

I had to go home and rush to SM Makati so I can ride the UV Express. Thank God that the line along UV Express was not as long as the snake of people that I would line up in. Just one more van and I can get home, sitting at the front, like my usual habit. However quick I lined up was the slowness of the UV Express Van since everyone in the UV Express Van endured heavy traffic.

Out of frustration, Boss Junjun (in his late 30s) chatted to his fellow UV Express drivers at 148.140 MHz, where UV Express drivers would chat.

“Bossing, bossing, grabe, malala ang traffic sa Skyway Magallanes (Boss, boss, this is bad! There’s a traffic choke along Skyway Magallanes),” went the driver whom I’ll call Mang Karding.

“Junjun, mag-ano ka… (Junjun, you go…)”

“Ha? Pareng Karding?”

“Pumunta ka nang NAIAX at doon ang ruta mo muna. Tapos babagtasin mo ang Airport Road, sa Pasay. Tapos mag-Ninoy Aquino Avenue ka. (Go to NAIAX and that should be your route for now. Then traverse Airport Road, along Pasay. Then proceed to Ninoy Aquino Avenue.)”

“O sige, pare. (Sure, brother.)”

Well, we took the longer route.

Some of the passengers snored loudly, especially the backmost passengers. However, others are talking about random topics, like the latest K-Drama they are going to watch on iWant, their complaints about “low” data allocation while they already consume 1 gigabyte per day watching K-Drama in High Definition, and what have we. Still, there are other passengers who are like me, staring at the long line of vehicles that seem to have parked along the Skyway. By the time Boss Junjun drove to NAIAX, we were in for a somewhat faster ride. So much for the mess of traffic at the airport and at the so-called “Gamblers’ Highway”!

“Sinu-sino kaya ang magtatapon nang pera sa Resorts World na casino? (I wonder who will throw away cash at the Resorts World casino?” I mused as I stared at the cars lined up. Behold! I saw a procession of luxury cars heading to Resorts World: a red Ford Mustang GT400, two white top-down BMW Z4’s, and behold! Car after car that will announce its entrance to the casino!

Well, after ten minutes of being stuck in traffic, the red Ford Mustang announced its entrance to the parking lot. I tried to remain blank in my expression but the mere thought of spending even a single cent in the casino is a hair raiser for me. I wanted to rant inside my mind, but I felt my body being heavy and so I thought, “Why not sleep it off?” So I slept until reaching Sucat Road.

I was at Valley 1 by 9:10 PM. Phew! A frustrating, long ride. Then after UV Express, time to commute via tricycle. I went home at around 9:30 PM, and I had to sleep shortly after going home. I forgot to change into my house wear by then. However, I slept comfortably knowing that meeting someone new was a bliss.

My mother was about to scold me for going on a dinner with someone I do not know very well. She told herself, “Well, my son is now 24. I’ll let him be.” Had my mother had her way, she could have scolded me for five minutes, in her acrid voice that combines worry and aggression.

With the bliss came the nightmare. I dreamed vividly that I was in an upscale hotel room. I asked myself, “Where am I? How did I get here?” I was dazed, feeling high from the barbital that I drank unknowingly. Suffice it for me to say that the vixen I met had the promise of giving me whatever I want if I become her accomplice.

I woke up very flustered. I simply did not know why I ended up dreaming about that person I met in Greenbelt 4 who turned out to be my captor. I shut my eyes very tightly, ruminating about what I had to do next. However, I took another pill of Saint John’s wort that I bought in Healthy Options, hoping that it will help me sleep.

Off I went to work. Everything went as usual except that I fell unusually silent. Whenever people ask me about something, I try to find the fewest words I could say. I mean, people regard me as a chatterbox especially when I talk about something with an insistent, here-is-my-complete-context manner. I fell utterly silent and I wondered, what if such a thing happened in real life? What if I get abducted? How can I claw out of the trouble that I saw?

Well, that acquaintance from Greenbelt 4 came calling me again beginning May 13. This time, I had to keep my guard up. I thought of taking as many notes as I could about what’s going on during the dinner and consider using my S10e as a hidden voice recorder. This will help me just in case something goes wrong. Then my phone rang.

“Hello?” I answered first.

“Oh, hi there!” was the reply on the other end. It took me a while to recognize the voice. It was a voice that had an endearing yet ensnaring quality. Concerning her voice pitch, her voice would have been like an alto or contralto. Thus, her voice can be a snare, heaven forbid.

I gruffly started the conversation with an alibi, “Nina? Look, I can’t talk right now. I have urgent matters to attend to,” followed by me abruptly ending the call.

I cursed, followed by saying “Parang prank call na yata ito ah! (It seems like someone’s pulling a prank call!)” Kuya Enzo heard me.

Kuya Enzo was eating bibimbap that he made. Suddenly, he paused eating as he advised me, “Huwag mo nang patulan iyang babaeng iyan. Titigil siya, sana. (Don’t reply to that woman. She will stop, hopefully.)”

As time went by, that acquaintance kept calling me, every other hour until around 7-11 PM. At 7:00 PM, either I would be out of work or I would be waiting in a snake-like formation of about 100 people riding the UV Express Ayala to Sucat route. Then came the first call which I deliberately missed. At 8:00 PM, I would be home, or close to going home. Then came the second call, which again I deliberately missed. Every time that person calls me, I would not answer, hoping that she would give up.

However, I presumed that she was persistent. My phone vibrated at 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM. By those Matimes, I would be asleep already.

On May 14, at 5:50 AM I woke up and the first thing that I did was to check my phone for any missed calls. I mumbled, “0956XXXXXXX, the number that I should consider blocking at some point.” However, I gave the person who is calling from 0956XXXXXXX the benefit of the doubt that she will stop calling me. Well, one day, she might just give up.

I wondered, out loud while in my office that day, “Is this woman _interested in me_?”

One of my coworkers heard me utter such a statement out loud and she poked fun of me.

“Godwyn! Ikaw pala may kausap kang babae ah? (You seem to be talking to a woman?) That’s a first from you!”

I retorted, with my head down, “What!? OK…”

However, I texted _that person_ that I cannot take any of her invites to a night out every time she insists that we have a night out together. If she does not text me for five consecutive days starting from May 17, then she would give up.

Or so I thought that she gave up… Starting May 18, I blocked 0956XXXXXXX from my phone number list. This should prevent that person from contacting me in any way again.


	2. After-Work Dinners (Part II)

Fast forward to May 27. After attending a series of meetings, I packed up and called it a day at 5:55 PM. I saw that person who I met before in Greenbelt 4. There she was, waiting for me and clad in her purple blouse and pants, with matching blue flat shoes. Oh, she was also wearing purple lipstick too!

She approached me, asking “Shall we have dinner again?”

My reply was, “Tsk, I need to freshen up first!” Little did she know that I am doing a voice recording of what will happen for I started the voice recorder app on my cellphone.

I said yes, the second time around. I asked, “So who will foot the bill?”

“This time, we go Dutch. You must be earning already?” was her reply.

“You’re right,” I conceded.

I suggested that we eat out at Din Tai Fung again and she agreed. However, to get to Greenbelt, we had to take a long walk using the footbridge at Dela Rosa street. By then, the weather became much more humid. I could see some bugs camping near fluorescent lamps. I could hear thunder rolling from afar, a sign that rain could fall somewhere soon. The temperature was a bit cooler, at 30 degrees Centigrade. Humidity, however, was torturous! I feel that it was 36 degrees outside! From a dry, air-conditioned office which felt cooler than it should be, I was there, feeling the tepid air. If I was already sweating without doing anything, Nina would be sweating more so as we walked across the footbridge. Perhaps her makeup would be ruined by the torturous humidity brought about by winds not knowing where to go. At times, I could feel winds from the east. Next thing I knew, winds would be from the south or even the most feared southwest!

Despite being drenched by the pre-Southwest Monsoon humidity, we were able to reach Greenbelt 4. By the time we both got there, well, why not have a table for two? I don’t know what I came there for, but I am in for a surprise, both good and bad.

We ordered two bowls of House Steamed Chicken Soup, mine with extra noodles. Also, we ordered hot ginseng tea for each of us. After ordering our food, she offered me what is apparently mint chewing gum. Prior to taking in the gum, I saw that the wrapper of the gum was already open. Never mind, I chewed the gum anyway. However, I felt a salty taste in my gum. Never mind that it was salt though.

After that, she initiated the conversation. She took her phone and browsed YouTube for Tom and Jerry videos to start out conversation.

“Ever watched this?” she asked, showing a scene of Tom and Jerry on her Note 10+.

I laughed, “Ah, Tom and Jerry? I watched that for most of my childhood!”

“Yep.”

“As I was a child back then, I don’t know who to side with: Tom or Jerry?”

“I’d side with Tom.”

“I can’t take sides for that for I did not take sides on Tom or Jerry. All I knew is that Tom would fail in his high jinks once Jerry escapes him. Ah, good times.”

“So do I. I’d side with Tom.”

Then came me being interested in Tom and Jerry. “I’ve watched Tom and Jerry Tales, with its setting in around 2006-2010, but with the same old formula: furious cat, witty mouse.”

“Well, tell you what. I have a sister named Anna, and I’d identify her with Jerry.”

I smirked, laughing. However, it became tongue-in-cheek.

“Do you have a job or something?” I asked Nina.

“I do. Part of it is into recruiting graduate students to study in Britain or Ireland,” Nina replied. It should be suspicious. However, that did not seem to matter.

“Wait. Great Britain did a Brexit,” I blurted out, referring to the exit of Great Britain from the European Union.

“No worries. It won’t affect your chances…”

“Great! I was thinking reviewing a few journal articles from the Internet so I can come to the professor prepared,” I remarked as I drew a stack of well-thumbed, heavily annotated journal articles from my bag. These articles are bound to a 1 and 5/8-inch (1.625”) binder clip, so they must he quite heavy.

Suffice it for me to say that from there the conversation revolved around graduate school in Ireland and being unconditionally sponsored, until…

Then came our respective orders of hot ginseng tea and the chicken soup. This time I cut back on the chili sauce. Nina, however enjoyed in spicing her food up. There I was, seeing her enjoy spicier food. “I must have suggested to her that she spice her food up, indirectly…”

However, after the dinner, I started to feel a bit off. Slightly disoriented, as if a bit drunk did I feel. Then…

“I think I can book a Grab ride, with two stops. You first?” I asked Nina, offering a two-stop Grab ride.

“No, it’s OK. I can let you rest in…” followed by a charming whisper, “…my room, if you like.”

“I could give the motorbike ride a try…”

“Sure. I have a spare helmet.”

There I was, trying to ride on a big-ass bike for the first time. This is a far cry from me riding a motorbike when I was with my grandfather. I went on to check out her big bike, and oh! The bright blue Angkas helmet!

“Angkas ka?” she asked me, in Tagalog with no hint of an Irish accent!

“Sige po,” in my usual deferential tone. It’s as if I was talking to an aleng (auntie) Angkas driver.

“You don’t need to defer to me like you do to your mother. I may be 47…”

“You hardly look like you’re forty-seven!” I quipped to her, backing off from her a bit. Sensing my skepticism, she posed with her left foot on the seat of the motorbike, and she stared at me. I blushed. I did not figure out what she may have said to me, but all I know is that her seductive move proved onerous to resist. “Be my guest,” I assured her.

I wore my helmet and joined Nina in her thrill ride in her big bike. Time for a 110 km/h dash in the Skyway? Heaven forbid that we get caught for speeding.

“Where are we going?” I asked her.

“You don’t need to know, but this will be a thrill ride,” she went as she revved her motorbike from 2,500 rpm to 8,000 rpm.

I checked her speedometer in her bike. We were going at 100 km/h in EDSA, a highway with a speed limit of 80 km/h. God forbid that the traffic police are doing their jobs.

I could not find words to how thrilling the ride was, but it was all a blur. I was not fully awake when we arrived at the hotel. She took care of the entire check-in. As I was, I became groggy and I took a shower to freshen up. It would be Saturday the next day, so I slept soundly.

However soundly I slept, little did I know what is to happen next. However, I felt what I’d term as a bliss beyond reason, beyond words even—as I started sleeping. It was 9:30 PM.

She also thought of sleeping at around 9:50 PM, lying next to me. She stroked my loose strands of hair, knowing that she found the right accomplice. Already lying down, she stared into the sky and whispered to me, asleep, “I don’t trust men and I may have looked cold to you, but here you are. How easy is it for you to trust me…”

There I was, asleep with a woman for the first time. Half-asleep, I was lying next to her.

“So, will you trust me?” the vixen asked, feeling my pulse.

I was asleep when she asked me that question. So, she tried reading my mind by gauging whether my heart would slow down, even syncing to hers (presumably around 60-63 bpm). In a course of a minute, she felt my heart rate slowed more than usual, like from 80 bpm to 58-65 bpm in 2 minutes instead of around 10 minutes.

“Ah, I could feel that you do…”

In return, I was silent, but tears flowed from my eyes to her skin, with all my feelings coming to me at once.

Anyway, the barbital kicked in, rendering me as someone far easier to dupe. Asleep, I could imagine the conversation as me wanting to have a romantic relationship with someone, never mind an assassin seductress!

If one could know what was going on in our minds at that time, then the silence could be imagined as though it was a conversation that could go this way. Talk about being lovestruck while asleep!


	3. Duped

At 6:30 AM the next day came the inevitable: I was not dreaming at all. This was real! Her wearing that purple spandex-like attire! Me being beholden to her when at the back of my mind I should run away and turn her over to the police. However, I could not be as alert as I’d want to be, for I was reeling off from a short-acting barbital that is about to wear off.

I asked her “What? Nina, what on earth am I here for?” raising my voice.

“Ha, ha, ha! You did not seem to realize what going on, didn’t you? I was looking for an accomplice for a vigilante mission,” Nina went on, staring at me in a charming, psychopathic manner.

My guard was totally down, with barbital rendering me unable to have the strong urge to escape. Little did I know I am reeling of the side effects of barbital that day.

She told me that I will be one of her accomplices in her missions. This time, it involves the proverbial War on Drugs.

She oriented me on what tasks I could do, so she drew out rolls of paper that were as large as architects’ drawings on the desk of the hotel room. The papers were probably of A1 size, or as large as eight A4-size papers put together. This was followed by her drawing out permanent markers that have fluorescent colors. 

“I know you’re a chemist, so I’ll put you as a lab manager-cum-snitch on a clandestine drug lab,” she told me as she pointed to the map of some unknown place in Pampanga. “For the day, I’ll assign you as the lab manager, but you will tell me everything as soon as I get back. Then I will take care of the rest.”

“I don’t want to get arrested for consuming drugs, or worse, being a conspirator to the illicit drug production!”

Nina sensed that I made a wrong assumption, but this kind of assumption infuriated her. So, she pounded the table with her pen and she stared at me.

“Look at me!” she ordered me. “That’s nonsense! Do you think that I am here to get you to do drugs?”

“N-N-No…” I stammered.

“OK,” she said to calm us down. Then she stashed some printouts related to the lab. One of them involves a chemical synthesis plan. This was followed by her encircling the site of the lab in her largest printout using a fluorescent purple permanent marker.

“That clandestine drug lab in Pampanga has about 4 employees,” she oriented me, and she drew out a folder that contained face shots of the four people who I would be working with. She went on, “They will teach you what to do from there. Here’s the catch: whatever you do, don’t drop my name or that of the police. I’ll take care of them.”

I looked at all the papers she rolled out for the mission—the map, the chemical equations, and the mugshots. I tried to make sense of what she was asking me to do. At first, I tensed up because I knew that something wrong could go on there. Then Nina told me her plan as she showed me the floor plan of the lab and its surroundings.

She started telling me about my hideout using the map of the lab, “OK, so as soon as I tell you to hide, make sure that you hide on the trapdoor that is located on the left side of the lab. It’s like the left side of the lab, if you are facing the entrance of the lab.” Then she drew the trap door where I will hide in case she deals with those “employees”.

“So, the end goal here is to pretend that I am the head of the lab, and you will take care of busting those drug lords?”

“Yes.”

She offered a reward if I succeed as her accomplice, she told me that I can have whatever I wish. “Name your reward,” she whispered to my ear to trigger my goosebumps. I told her that I wanted a graduate level scholarship in Dublin or London.

“OK. I can be your sponsor for that… I know professors who I’ve talked into this scheme.”

I thought, in a fit of rage, that she must be laundering money. However, it fell off my mind as she guessed another reward that I could have in mind.

“Well, I am the very embodiment of what you want…” she teased me, caressing my face gently with her hand. As she enticed me as she did, I felt a tension within myself. I had barely a second to do a Sign of the Cross when…

“You can have my body, if you so please,” she promised me, showing off her figure by standing stiffly straight to show off her “prominent features”—her confident bust, her voluptuous curvature, and some musculature to enhance her overt feminine features! Talk of strength and beauty being “alloyed in platinum”! In that moment, I was enraptured by her self-assured pose, with a confidence that would topple most men! The ecstatic surge has led my mind to a revolt against prudent restraint. My heart overwhelmed by the surge of emotions that I cannot comprehend! More so, I feel flushed and I was able to look at the vixen straight in the eyes, in admiration! It was the first infatuation I felt after two years! It was a climax that did not need any “contact”, an indescribable excess!

Overcome by the surge of mind and body, I said yes instantly to her, followed by gasping for breath.

“Great!” she affirmed, and she kissed my forehead very gently, followed by combing the tendrils of hair that go messy. “Now I have a job for you…”

As soon as we both calmed down from that moment, Nina briefed me on my first plan that during the Christmas break, I will be heading a clandestine drug lab in Angeles City, Pampanga. She rolled out all her blueprints to start.

“Alright, I have intel that there is a clandestine amphetamine lab in Angeles City, Pampanga, about 50 miles north of Makati, where we are right now. Before we begin, does your company have a Christmas break?”

“Yes. December 19 to January 2.”

“Alright then. You will be running the lab on December 19 until December 22. However, every night, make sure that you report to me everything you see, and I will bust the lab on December 23 in the morning. That should enable you to go back to your home on December 24.”

“OK.”

“So, it helps if I show you the map,” she continued. She drew several circles using fluorescent markers: one circle quite far from the Angeles Exit of North Luzon Expressway. “I’ll bring you to the amphetamine lab on December 19, starting at 4:00 in the morning at your house. Then, if all goes well, we should be in that lab at 7:30 AM. Then from there, the chief cook will orient you on what to do from there. Don’t drop my name or even hint us to the police!”

“Wait. How do I get to go from my place to that lab that you speak of?”

“I’ll pose as a Grab driver. Prepare about PHP2,500.00 since this is a long ride.”

“Nice plan. I need personal protection equipment, like an N95 mask and a hazmat suit! I don’t want to inhale the drugs lest I feel like I’m consuming them!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll provide you your hazmat suits and all that. Just take good notes of the plan I’m giving you and you should be all set.”

“OK.”

Little did I know that I was serving as an accomplice to that vixen.

As soon as I recovered from my high, I freshened up and told her that I need to go home lest my parents berate me. Then at around 10:45 AM, she left the hotel room. I was tense, hoping that she would not get back at any time. “Sana wala na iyang Ninang iyan! (I hope that Nina’s gone forever!)” Then I pocketed these items from the room: a pencil bearing the name “Ascott Hotel”, a ball pen bearing the hotel logo and a small notepad bearing the same logo. Fortunately, they all fit in my pocket and so I sneaked out of the hotel room.

There I was, waiting for ride to Sucat via UV Express. Good thing that there was no line in the UV Express so I was able to go home in about 1 hour. By the time I went out, thunderclouds dominated the sky, threatening that rain will fall in any minute. Good thing that I was able to go home at around 1:15 PM. Fortunately, my parents and my brother were out. My brother was out, buying his supplies. My parents were working. Good thing that my family had no hint at my whereabouts.

On Nina’s end, however, her frustration went on top of the roof when she saw that I was gone. She went back to the hotel room at Ascott at around 12:45 PM. All that were there are: a bed with flat sheets, complimentary hotel stationery gone, and a raging assassin who lost an accomplice who she thought that she would trust so easily.

Let the rage subside, and now Nina knew that she would not give up. Nothing will stand in her way of getting her job done. She called someone who she calls as her “Master”.

“Hello?” Nina went, in a lukewarm tone.

“Nina?” The Master asked.

She sighed in frustration. “Master, my accomplice is already gone. It appears that he abandoned the mission.”

“OK. I will send someone to investigate what went on with that accomplice of yours.”

“Sure. Goodbye.”

That should be quick, or so she thought.


	4. Conspiracy

I remembered what Margaret Roper said to Thomas More. “Say the words of the act and let your heart think otherwise!” Yes. Say “Yes,” in front of Nina, but get out of the mission while she is not looking!

Time to show that seductress who’s boss now!

By late October, rain comes irregularly. On a Friday between October 20 and October 30, the weather was fine and maybe hot. This was a good time to get out and lounge at Greenbelt.

I arranged my hardcopies of my files and then I went off-duty at 6:15 PM. By then, it was dark, so I had to walk across well-lit areas.

I walked at a brisk pace across the sheltered Dela Rosa Pedestrian Overpass leading to Greenbelt 4. If I were to walk from Eton Makati to Greenbelt 4, that would take me about 15-25 minutes. As I was in a mad rush, I walked with a wide stride and a fast pace, which could make me run if I feel like running. Then, as I was, I bumped into a woman who was wearing a red Gothic dress and sporting hair that it is brown as mine, with straight bangs that make her look hooded. Or maybe the brownness of her hair was more prominent than mine! Both of us were at a loss on how to respond, but it seemed that I was more frazzled than the woman who I bumped in to.

“Madam, pasensya na po kayo! Nagmamadali po ako! (Madam, forgive me! I am in a rush!) Sorry!” I apologized while catching my breath.

The woman asked, “Huh?”

I repeated my apology in Filipino, “Pasensya na po madam! (Forgive me madam!)”

She uttered, “What?” Then she looked at me, exhausted and frozen by mot knowing what to do. “I look a bit Filipino, but I barely understood part of what you were saying. What was it?”

“I am sorry for bumping to you, Madam!” I apologized, this time in English.

“No worries,” the woman replied. She told me to walk with her all the way to Greenbelt 4. An awkward silence befell the both of us for a while before we started conversing again.

I asked the woman dressed in a red Gothic dress while clutching her Salvatore Ferragamo bag, “Who are you?”

The woman replied, “I am Anna Williams. Call me Anna.”

I paused, then I introduced myself. “I am Godwyn,” and I was about to shake hands with her when she suddenly refused. “No need, Godwyn,” she said.

She invited me to walk down the overpass. “Shall we walk further?” I obliged. Fortunately, Anna and I could feel a cold, dry nip of the northeasterly winds, a sign that the Northeast Monsoon will come soon. Thus, walking along the overpass for about ten more minutes all the way to the mall should not be a problem.

Out of curiosity I asked, “So, you’re… Nina’s sister, I suppose?”

The moment she heard me mention Nina, she replied, “Oh, that Nina! How detestable! Oh yes, we are sisters!”

Suddenly, I recalled the entire conversation between me and Nina when before Nina duped me.

I told her, “I can barely imagine that you and Nina are siblings! I mean, you hardly look like each other!”

Anna fell silent because she gestured me that we are about to head towards the entrance of Greenbelt 4. She tapped my shoulder and pointed to the entrance as if to say, “Hey! We’re approaching security. Don’t you bump into the security guard!”

Then I fell silent and I had my backpack checked by the security guards. As I was, I showed him the biggest pocket since most of my items are there. However, once we reached security, both of us looked for the nearest bench so we can continue talking.

“Where do you want to sit, Anna?” I asked.

Anna suggested, “Why not at Salvatore Ferragamo? Anyway, I plan to have my signature leather bag fixed…” as she looked at her bag that had a torn inner pocket.

We walked all the way to that Salvatore Ferragamo shop, with Anna being frustrated at her bag. However, she asked that we sit on one of its soft, leathery benches just to continue the conversation.

I told Anna everything, beginning with “Here goes. It all started on May 7, this year when an unknown mobile number called me. Whoever she was, she instructed me to go to Greenbelt 4.

“Can you describe the person who invited you to Greenbelt 4?” Anna asked.

I described the assassin seductress, “That person turned out to be a woman with blonde hair, height about 1.62 meters. I would estimate her age to be in the middle 20s even if she claims to be 47. She turned out to be Nina Williams.”

“Oh! Right! So, Nina invited you for a dinner, hm?”

“Then she invited me to a dinner night in Din Tai Fung once, then twice. Right here in Greenbelt 4. Then during our second dinner, I was given some chewing gum that had a nasty effect on me. Little did I know that I became sleepy and gullible to her at that rate. Come May 28, morning, little did I realize that she booked me to an upscale hotel, and I slept with her, unknowingly. Then she offered me a mission wherein I’ll be her accomplice. She asked me to name my reward…”

“What mission?”

“That I was assigned as her informant in a lab in Pampanga. She told me that the reward is whatever I wish, she will grant it. However, she told me that I may have her body if I so please. With my guard down, I ended up taking her offer without realizing that I am going into some sex scheme. Like her body is for hire. It was a sick mistake of mine, but I knew that I want out as soon as possible, even before that mission.”

Anna told me, “My sister, how terrible she is, as always!”

I told her in one breath, “Anna, I could have rushed to take the UV Express by then, but I wish to get myself out of your sister’s loop.”

Anna looked at me in the eye and told me, “Don’t worry, let me take care of that Nina you detest. After all, I too detest her.” Then she combed her well-rebonded hair just to break the conversation a bit. Then, she handed me a thick wad of blue bills.

Instinctively, I looked at the thick wad of blue bills and I asked Anna, in skepticism, “Why are you giving me thousands and thousands of pesos?”

Anna answered, “You might need this. I could sense from your story that my sister is messing you up.”

I refused her offer in an impulse, coupled with a flat voice, “Anna, thanks for your help. I can manage with my earnings right now.”

I had a strong inkling that I need to manage my mental health considering that the second encounter with Nina proved to be overwhelming. Little did I know the impact that Nina’s recruitment will be to me.

Then Anna told me, “Godwyn, let’s hope for the best here. I’ll talk Nina out of recruiting you in that crazy scheme of hers. The next time you call her, do not take any of her calls. She will just change mobile numbers from time to time in case you cannot take her call. In case you hear a voice similar to hers, ask explicitly if it’s Nina.”

I fell silent, staring at her point blank. “Anna?”

She continued warning me. “You might want to consider changing your SIM card or asking your most important contacts to contact you using an alternate mobile number. Nina will do everything to hunt you down, given that she recruited you through a sexual favor.”

“Anna, I am on postpaid! This means that I cannot change my mobile number at will! I have a busy work schedule so this means that I will be hassled by the changing of my mobile number. Wait, what about prepaid?”

“There you go, young man! Now, load up on prepaid credits on your phone using your alternate mobile number. Perhaps Nina won’t contact you there.”

“Good thinking Anna! It’s now 7:10 PM. This means I could be on the last ride.”

After that briefing, I waved goodbye to Anna and so I ran off to catch the third to the last ride of the Ayala-Sucat route. Thank God the fare was still PHP65, so I bought my slot in the UV Express. The cashier/ticket

It may be a bit late in the evening, but the line to from Sucat to Ayala was snaking in seven segments of twenty-five people each! This means that I need to wait for my ride until 9:00 PM at the latest. Thus, while waiting for the next UV Express van that will take me to Sucat, I browsed the Internet for some news. The news turned out to be the same bland news items that drove me to cynicism: at best, I don’t know what to do.

By the time I was to get my first fix of news, it was 8:35 PM. This means that I want to sleep in the UV Express van. Meanwhile, I was being called to board the Ayala to Sucat van and I was startled as I was not responding to my surroundings for 10 seconds. Every second counts if you are lining up in for a commute, especially in those moments where presence of mind is needed the most.

Then I slept in the UV Express Van for a long ride. Good thing that there was no pockets of heavy traffic along Skyway. In fact, Kuya Berto, the UV Express van driver was silent, enjoying the thrill ride of the UV Express van going at 95 km/h. That speed, however, lulled me to sleep. What more, being comfortably wrapped by the seatbelt! The best combination to lull me to sleep! Being an experienced commuter, I took this for granted until…

“UCPB? Sino’ng bababa nang UCPB? (Who will go down to UCPB)?” Mang Berto asked.

His thick, rattled voice was not enough to wake me up. A few passengers went down and one of them slammed the sliding door of the UV Express van. Only by the slamming of that sliding door did I wake up.

I checked my watch. It was 9:30 PM!

I looked around and I realized I was in Sucat Road already, just passed by UCPB! Well, at least I am to go home anyway…

“Sino’ng bababa po sa Sucat Valley 1?” Mang Berto asked.

“Ako po! Doon sa Jaka!” I told Mang Berto.

“Sige, Ser, saglit lang…” he assured me.

I went down the UV Express van right in front of Tropical Hut in Jaka Plaza. By then, it was 9:45 PM.

Suffice it for me to say that I went home by 10:15 PM and I slept on my bed, asleep with my work clothes on.

The next day, Anna left me a voice message on Messenger. I woke up dazed from what seemed to be a lack of sleep and I played Anna’s voice message which went, “Hello. This is Anna Williams. I want you to get out of my nasty sister’s loop, if you remember. Here’s an alternative to changing SIMs but be prepared to spend lots of cash on prepaid credits here! Load one thousand pesos on your prepaid mobile number. This will serve as the number that you will use to contact unknown persons. That way people won’t have a trace of you since you can change SIM cards if you feel being scooped in any way. Do this until I send you another message saying that you are safe. This message will disappear at 12:30 PM.”

Without hesitation I loaded PHP1,000 to my prepaid number through my mobile banking app. Then I subscribed to a 100-minute all-network call package good for 30 days. This I did without fail.

Then after a few days, I received a call from 0926XXXXXXX to my primary contact number (postpaid) at 12:24 PM, exactly when I was eating chicken sisig at my favorite Jollijeep station. I waited for the call to be missed and I answered the caller using my prepaid mobile number. I answered the call. Thank God it was not Nina.

Next week, I received a call from 0955XXXXXXX. I called back using my prepaid number and so I called that person back.

“Hello, this is Godwyn. May I know who is this?” I asked.

“You know me…” replied the other person.

“Again, may I know who is this?”

“Nina.”

The moment I knew Nina Williams was calling, I felt rage flowing within me and I told her, “You got the wrong number!” and I hung up. Next thing I did was to block 0955XXXXXXX in my contacts list.

From then on, I kept changing my prepaid SIM, but first I would transfer load from the SIM card that I was about to discard to the new prepaid SIM. This is an exhausting evasion game, but I have to do this.


	5. Sibling Rivalry I: The Street Fight

I was eating off a Jollijeep in Makati for my dinner. Right now, 5:50 PM is the time for darkness to blanket the sky. In the dark, cool breeze of November, I was savoring the second serving of chicken sisig that the Jollijeep stall owner cooked. Every bite of the chicken meat tasted nice and creamy. Oh wait, spicy! I paid the Jollijeep stall owner PHP90. 

I was about to head back to my building until…

I heard Anna shout, “Nina! Where are you? Nina! Show yourself!”

I was the first to notice Anna, in her familiar Gothic dress. She rushed to the Jollijeep where I was eating and she asked me to take cover under the Jollijeep from where we were. Then in her hushed, but stern whisper, “Rush back to your office, or rush ahead to the UV Express van stops. I’ll give you a black ushanka so Nina does not recognize you. I know that you could be mesmerized by her looks. Don’t you dare stare at her or even stop! Run!”

In haste, I ran back to my office and I worked on some more files until it was 8:10 PM. By then, I went out of my office to see what’s going on outside.

Then Nina, wearing her black motorcycle rider gear was arrogantly walking. She heard Anna’s threat, “I’ll tear you to pieces right now, Nina!”

Then Nina faced Anna, who was right in front of her. Then ensued a confrontation.

Anna started, pointing her finger to Nina, “Why did you recruit a young man to your grandiose scheme? What were you thinking!? TELL ME!”

Nina calmly told her sister, “He’s the right man for this job…”

Suddenly, Anna slapped Nina, remarking, “You won’t get away with this!”

Then they were trading punches, slaps and kicks to each other. Nina struck the next blow to Anna, but Anna dodged her sister’s bloody blows. Nina tried disarming her using a kick, in the hopes of asserting her might and rightness. However, Anna dodged Nina’s blow.

Eventually, the simple scuffle escalated into a fight. People were watching Nina and Anna fight. Soon, a crowd assembled. Some people are enthralled by the fight, some are staring at them point blank. In less than 5 minutes, a throng of 200 people are there, watching!

Wait, this is not the game! People witnessed the real Nina and Anna fighting!

Eventually, Nina succumbed to Anna’s sharp wits in fighting. Nina became weary and she surrendered.

“Alright, Anna! You win! I’ll let my accomplice go! I should have not used him! Snitch!”

Anna sent me another voice message via Messenger. She told me that I am same from Nina’s schemes, for now.


	6. Sibling Rivalry II: Moot Court

Little did I know that I was about to stand trial as one of the principal witnesses against Nina.

Fast forward to mid-November. The skies are turbulent. One day it rains hard, on the other, fierce sunlight pierces the blue sky. Temperatures can swing wildly here. But wild swings in temperatures mean that it can go as “cold” as 20°C to as hot as 32°C. Nevertheless, I went about my life as usual.

I had to appear in the Metropolitan Trial Court at exactly 9:00 AM, third Saturday of November.

Judgment Day comes for Nina as I prepared myself for her trial. However, Anna asked me to see her at around 8:00 AM on that third Saturday of November.

Anna messaged me via Messenger, “Godwyn, come and see me at 7:00 AM at a lounge in Makati City Hall.”

I asked her by messaging back, “Why?”

A few minutes later, Anna told me that together with the prosecutor, we will have a last-minute briefing on the case.

Come the third Saturday of November, I went to Makati City Hall, arriving at 6:30 AM.

Two hours and thirty minutes before the case against Nina gets heard. Then I received a text message from Anna.

Anna texted me, “Hello, young man! So, where are you?”

I texted her back, “Anna, I am now at the Makati City Hall, at the front entrance of it.”

Then Anna confirmed that she will meet me from where I was. By the time we met, she invited me to have breakfast together with the City Prosecutor, Atty. Raymund Tan. Arriving about two hours earlier than scheduled means that I have more time to iron out the details of the case so I can prepare to stand trial as a witness.

At around 6:55 AM, the woman wearing a scarlet, knee-length dress arrived by means of a Grab Premium car. As I saw that woman in her peculiar attire, I mumbled in relief, “Anna!”

I asked, “Anna, how have you arrived here?”

Quickly, she replied, “I booked a Grab from my condominium unit all the way here to the City Hall,” then she told me, “Anyway, we need to meet Attorney Raymund any minute now since we will go on a breakfast meeting.”

And then we waited for Attorney Tan…

By 7:15 AM, we saw another car arrive at the front entrance of Makati City Hall. I was unable to figure out who was driving this car, but the moment I heard his voice, I could not figure out who he was until…

An inviting voice said, “Tara, kain tayo sa Chowking!”

Anna and I heard that invitation; then Anna told me, “Attorney Raymund’s there!”

We waited for Attorney Tan as he parked his car somewhere in the parking space allotted for the City Prosecutor. After about 10 minutes of waiting, he had a paper bag which contained our breakfast that he ordered from Chowking. The moment he saw Anna and I, he invited me to the Office of the City Prosecutor so we can discuss the finer detail as to how the case will play out in court.

As soon as the crisply-dressed Attorney Tan asked us to go to his office, he invited us to eat breakfast. “Kain na! Breakfast meeting tayo on how to deal with the upcoming case.”

Being hungry as I could be, I reached for the paper bag containing the take-out meals he ordered from Chowking, for all of us. Then after taking the Styrofoam meal box containing the fish lauriat, I gave Attorney Tan the paper bag. Then Attorney Tan and Anna got their meals too and so, we started eating off the Chowking take-out boxes.

Attorney Tan began, “So, this might be a very sticky case for you, Godwyn.”

I was not able to figure out what he meant by what he said. Anna rephrased it for me. “Godwyn, this means that if one fact was not proven on the side of Nina’s guilt, then this means she gets to run away free.”

I stared at Anna point blank, trying to make sense of why Nina needs to be thrown in jail.

I discussed to them the finer points of Article 268 of the Revised Penal code, “So the key difference between Articles 268 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines is that if the entire story of the case in our side proves Nina’s guilt, then this means at least twelve years of jail for her?”

Attorney Tan replied, “Yes! But let’s prioritize ironing out our version of the case after finishing our breakfast. This will be a heavy case!”

After breakfast, Attorney Tan began the moot court session in his office. He asked Anna to sit on his chair and told her, “Anna, pretend that you are the court interpreter.” Then he pulled one of the client’s chairs about 1 meter apart from his table so he can simulate the witness stand for me.

Attorney Tan told me, “Godwyn, sit on this chair first. Pretend that you are on the witness stand.”

“OK po, Attorney,” I replied, obliging to his command.

Then Attorney Tan stood about two meters behind me. In effect, he recreated the position of our part of the trial.

Then, Attorney Tan handed us two copies a criminal trial script. He oriented Anna first, “Anna, you will read the part of the court interpreter.” Then he oriented me, “Godwyn, you will be the witness. Read exactly what’s on the script for your responses so the trial can proceed smoothly. I will read the parts of the judge and the lawyers. OK?”

Anna and I replied, “Sure!”

Attorney Tan started the mock trial. “Here we go! Anna, don’t read the part of the court interpreter just yet. I will read the first part. So, in the Philippines, trials begin with ‘All rise’. Then the court interpreter will recite a prayer like, ‘Almighty Creator, we stand in your Holy Presence as our Supreme Judge. We humbly beseech You to bless and inspire us so that what we think, say and do will be in accordance with Your will. Enlighten out minds, strengthen our spirit and fill our hearts with fraternal love, wisdom and understanding so we can become effective channels of truth, justice and peace. In our proceedings today, guide us in the path of righteousness for the fulfillment of Your greater glory. Amen.’ At this point, you will need to pray, or if not, at least bow your head in silence until the prayer ends. Then you will stand as normal as you were. Then, the court interpreter will say, ‘The Metropolitan Trial Court is now in session. Honorable Judge N. N. will preside the case.’ Anna, as you pretend to be the judge, you will sit down after the prayer.”

Then, after Attorney Tan told us the introductory part of the case, both of us sat down, with me sitting down _only after following his cue_. Then, he continued, “The judge will say, ‘Call the case’, and the court interpreter will read the case briefing. After that, the court interpreter will provide the summary of the case that the defendant is accused of, ending with a ‘contrary to law’ phrase. Then the judge will ask, ‘Do you understand the case against you?’ to the defendant. In this case, it’s Nina.”

Attorney Tan paused for a while as he sensed that we were trying to figure out what will transpire in the trial come an hour alter. Then I asked him, “OK. I think I’m getting it quite a bit, but then when will witnesses enter?”

Attorney Tan replied, “That’s a good question, Godwyn, but at this point, the judge will call the witnesses on the prosecution side. The judge will say, ‘Call in the witnesses from the prosecution.’” He asked me to look at him in the eyes, then his gesturing hands. “Godwyn,” he gestured with his palms up, lifting both of his hands, “This is where you will stand as the witness.” Following his cue, I stood up.

He told me to face Anna as I assumed that she would be the court interpreter (She will line up as the second witness in Nina’s trial). He cued Anna, “Go! Read the part starting with ‘Do you swear…’”

Anna read the court interpreter’s swearing-in of the witness, “Raise your right hand.” This was followed by me raising my right hand in a 90-degree angle. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” Anna (the pretend court interpreter) asked me.

“I do,” I replied in my thick, confident voice.

“Great!” Attorney Tan exclaimed. “Now, we proceed with the first part of the case. This is called, the ‘direct examination’ wherein a witness will be asked about what that witness has seen or experienced when the alleged crime happened.”

Attorney Tan began his mock direct examination, “Mr. Witness, please state your name and circumstances.”

“I am Godwyn I— L—, a 24-year-old professional currently working in Makati City at (name of firm omitted), your Honor.” I started.

“Then this is the meat of the case,” Attorney Tan oriented me. “Do you know a certain woman named Nina Williams?”

My swift reply was, “Yes I do, your Honor.”

Attorney Tan interrupted his line of questioning to remind me that I have to add “Your Honor” since I am addressing my answer to the judge and to the whole court.

Then, he began his line of questioning in rapid fire.

“Will you please point to us who is that Nina Williams you are referring to?”

I pointed somewhere on one of his distant bookshelves, which to me was an arbitrary point. However, he told me, “You should know how the defendant looks like. Do you have any idea of how she looks like?”

I had to talk to Attorney Tan as if not in court. “I do have an idea po, Attorney. Well, as long as I can identify who she is from afar, then…?”

Attorney Tan told me, “Then make sure that you are referring to Nina and not her look-alikes. People with blonde hair are rare here in the Philippines. No worries, you can identify her in the crowd, I suppose. Then back to where we were: How did you meet each other?”

I replied as if I was addressing the court, “We met at Greenbelt 4 for a dinner at Din Tai Fung, your Honor.”

“When did you meet at Din Tai Fung in Greenbelt 4?”

“May 7, around 6:45 PM in the evening, your Honor.”

“Was that your first time to meet Nina?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

Then came a rapid fire of questioning. The easy part was Attorney Tan refreshing my mind about what transpired during the two dinners, including that nasty aftertaste in the gum. However, past that, I began to stutter and not speak for five seconds.

Attorney Tan rushed to me and tapped my shoulder to warn me, “Godwyn, if you did not speak for five seconds, somewhere that time, then this can weaken our credibility in presenting evidence. In case you cannot answer the question clearly, you can say ‘I don’t know at the moment, your Honor,’ or ‘I don’t remember at the moment, your Honor.’ Make sure that no dead air or silence will be there for long. Are we clear?”

“Opo, Attorney Tan.”

Then, we rehearsed my part of the case for the direct examination.

Attorney Tan started the rapid-fire questioning. He started with a calm, “Mr. Witness, do you know Nina Williams personally?”

I responded quickly, “Yes, I do—”

Attorney Tan told me, “Oops! Remember that you are addressing the judge and everyone in the court.”

I continued my statement, “…your Honor.”

He interrupted his rapid-fire questioning by saying, “Always add ‘your Honor’ every time I or the defense attorney asks you. It’s the judge who will listen to your statement. Back to the questions… So, how many times did you get to see Nina Williams?”

“Your Honor, I saw her twice.”

From here, Attorney Tan continued the rapid-fire questioning.

“What did you do with Nina?”

“I got to eat dinners with her at Din Tai Fung, in Greenbelt 4.”

“How did she contact you?”

“Your Honor, at first, she was an unknown contact to me. She contacted me over my mobile phone as an unknown cellphone number. She told me that I go with her on a dinner out.”

“When?”

“May 7th, to be exact, your Honor.”

“When did you see her the second time?”

“Your Honor, that was on May 27. We ate again at Din Tai Fung.”

“What time?”

I stammered for a few seconds, point blank. Then I replied swiftly, “I don’t remember, your Honor.”

“So, you had dinner with Nina Williams twice? On May 7 and May 27?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

The trial practice went quite rapidly on the mock direct examination. Then, Attorney Tan, Anna, and I stopped for about 2 minutes and after that break, Attorney Tan discussed the cross-examination part of the case. Attorney Tan replied “Godwyn, Anna, I want both of you to listen. The cross-examination is the more challenging part of the trial. They could cross-check if what you said was true, but at worst, the prosecution can mess up with your line of reasoning. They can provide leading questions. Godwyn, Anna, not all questions can be said with a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’. You will have to tell the judge that you will need to explain the answer by saying, ‘Your Honor, I can answer the question _only if_ I am allowed to explain my answer.’ Most of the time, the judge allows it.”

Attorney Tan continued, “Pretend that I am cross-examining you.” He asked questions in rapid fire, but in a more pressuring tone, starting with, “You had dinners out with Nina, didn’t you?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

Attorney Tan got irked by my candid, gullible “yes”. He repeated the question, “You slept with Nina Williams, didn’t you?”

“Your Honor, I will answer that question only if I am allowed to explain my answer.”

Then, Attorney Tan said, “The judge will say, ‘You may explain your answer.’”

I continued, “Your Honor, yes, I slept with her, but I was not aware.”

“Where were you on the morning following the second dinner at Din Tai Fung?”

“To be specific, at Ascott Hotel in Makati. I don’t remember the room number.”

“She gave you a piece of chewing gum with an aftertaste, didn’t you?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“The aftertaste was salty, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

Then Attorney Tan kept practicing me on my response to the cross-examination questions until I am no longer fumbling on my responses.

Then he remarked, “Great job, Godwyn! Basta, kalmado ka lang kapag cross-examination. OK? Focus on the words that the defense lawyers give. OK?”

“OK po, Attorney Tan.”

Then, in excitement, I told Anna, “We’ll tear you to pieces…”

Anna chimed in, “…Nina!” and then we high-fived. Anna went, “Time to see who’s boss now!”

It was 8:30 AM, thirty minutes to trial. I was about to sit on the lounge of the City Hall together with Anna and Attorney Tan was about to rush and see other witnesses.

“Attorney Tan!” I called his attention. He looked at me and at then he told me in a rushed, tense voice, “Five minutes na lang, ha? I need to arrange the paperwork for the case. May questions ka?”

I asked him, “Papaano po iyong mga ibang testigo sa side natin. Sa prosecution side po? (What about other witnesses on our side? The prosecution side?)”

He told me, “Don’t worry. I already briefed them on what to do.” Then he rushed.


	7. Sibling Rivalry III: My Testimony

Then came the trial. Third Saturday of November. 9:00 AM sharp.

“All rise,” the court interpreter ordered everyone in the court as the judge entered the bench. This was followed by a prayer recited by the court interpreter and the judge herself. “Almighty Creator, we stand in your Holy Presence as our Supreme Judge. We humbly beseech You to bless and inspire us so that what we think, say and do will be in accordance with Your will. Enlighten our minds, strengthen our spirit and fill our hearts with fraternal love, wisdom and understanding so we can become effective channels of truth, justice and peace. In our proceedings today, guide us in the path of righteousness for the fulfillment of Your greater glory. Amen.”

“The Makati City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 71 is now in session. Honorable Judge Czarina Monsod shall preside the case,” announced the court interpreter.

The judge pounded the gavel to signify the start of the case and she sat down. Everyone else in court followed her lead to sit down.

Judge Monsod pounded the gavel to signify that Nina’s case starts trial. Then, she sat down and the entire court audience sat down after she did.

“Call the case,” ordered Judge Monsod.

“Your Honor, Criminal Case Number 874200, People of the Philippines vs. Nina Williams.”

“Counsels, make your appearance,” said Judge Monsod.

“Your Honor, I am Atty. Raymund Tan, representing the People of the Philippines.”

“Your Honor, I am Atty. Nicasio Peña, representing the accused.”

“Is the accused around?” asked Judge Monsod.

The defense counsel responded, “Yes, the accused is around, your Honor.”

Judge Monsod ordered, “Arraign the accused.”

Nina was asked to come forward to the defense table.

The court interpreter read the case, “People of the Philippines versus Nina Williams. Case Number 874200

“For: Act of lasciviousness (Art. 336/Art. 339, Revised Penal Code of the Philippines), Slight illegal detention (Art. 268, RPC) and Possession of Dangerous Drugs (Section 11, Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002)

“The accused, going by the name Nina Williams reportedly took a complainant named Godwyn I— L— (name censored) to Ascott Hotel, Makati. According to the complainant, he was given a chewing gum that seemed to have a side effects which allegedly dulled his capacity to reason. According to the complainant Godwyn, he suspected that the additional substance he ingested was a barbital. Furthermore, he was unknowingly invited to sleep with the accused on the evening of May 27th, and on the morning of May 28th, he realized that he was sleeping with the accused and that she offered him a mission to be one of her accomplices in a vigilante mission planned by the accused. The complainant stated that he was seduced by the accused, leading to him saying ‘Yes’ to her without him being aware of it. However, at or around 11:00 AM, the complainant left the said hotel room and managed to escape.

As for the chewing gum which the complainant claims that induced side effects, he claimed that the gum contained what he calls a “nasty substance”. Chemical analyses done by an independent forensic laboratory suggest the presence of sodium thiopental which the accused claims she has no knowledge of. She also maintained that she does not know the presence of such a substance in the chewing gum she gave the defendant.

“Contrary to law.”

“Do you understand these charges held against you, Ms. Williams?”

“I do, your Honor,” she replied.

“What is your plea?” asked Judge Monsod.

“Not guilty, your Honor.”

The court interpreter said, “The accused entered not guilty, your Honor.”

Judge Monsod called in the prosecution to start the case. “Is the prosecution ready for the case?”

The court interpreter sworn me in. “Please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

I swore, “I do.”

Then Attorney Tan did a direct examination.

“Please state your name and circumstances.”

“I am Godwyn I— L—, 24 years old, a resident of Parañaque City, currently working at (company identity withheld).”

“Have you met Nina Williams?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“Will you please point to us who she is?”

“That one, your Honor,” as I pointed my hand to a blonde, shapely woman who was wearing a purple dress for Sunday’s best. This time, she’s wearing black lipstick, making her distinguishable even from afar. Attorney Tan stopped doing a direct examination to me, sensing the tension that Nina projects, even from afar.

Nina got infuriated and she was about to slap me and censure me for betraying her. Then the judge pounded her gavel, “Order in the court!” and only then Atty. Peña restrained Nina.

Attorney Tan’s direct examination continued.

“How did you meet each other?”

“We met at Greenbelt 4 for a dinner at Din Tai Fung, your Honor.”

“When did you meet at Din Tai Fung in Greenbelt 4?”

“May 7, around 6:45 PM in the evening, your Honor.”

“Was that your first time to meet Nina?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“What did you do with Nina?”

“I got to eat dinners with her at Din Tai Fung, in Greenbelt 4.”

“How did she contact you?”

“Your Honor, at first, I called an unknown eleven-digit number that someone would like to see me at Greenbelt 4, in Makati. She contacted me over my mobile phone as an unknown cellphone number. She told me that I go with her on a dinner out.”

“When?”

“May 7th, to be exact, your Honor.”

“What time?”

“Your Honor, 6:45 PM.”

“Did you ever see her again?”

I paused for a while, recalling the mock trial that Attorney Tan, Anna and I practiced. Then I uttered, “Your Honor, I will answer the question only if I am allowed to explain my answer.”

Judge Monsod looked at me calmly, while fanning herself in the warm and humid courtroom. “You may explain your answer.”

“Yes, but only once more, your Honor.”

Attorney Tan continued asking, “When did you see her the second time?”

I answered, “Your Honor, that was on May 27,” then the direct examination continued.

“What time?”

“I do not remember, your Honor.”

“Then what happened after the dinner?”

“All I remember for sure is that the next day, I was in Ascott Hotel Makati, and I slept with Nina unknowingly.”

“How did you know that you were in Ascott Hotel?”

“I looked at the hotel paraphernalia. There is a small notepad that has the logo of Ascott Hotel, your Honor.”

Attorney Tan looked at his suitcase and brought out the pencils, a black ball pen and a small notepad to present to Judge Monsod. Showing the items to the judge, he offered the evidence. “Your Honor, we pray that these items, namely, the pencils bearing the logo of Ascott Hotel Makati and the ball pen and the notepad bearing the logo of the said hotel be marked as Exhibit A.”

Judge Monsod instructed, “Mark it.”

Then...

Attorney Tan continued his series of questions. “Who were you with in the said room?”

“Nina Williams, your Honor.”

“Ah, OK. Did the both of you talk on the hotel room?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Nina offered me a role for her vigilante mission, your Honor.”

“How were you offered a vigilante mission?”

“I was offered a vigilante mission by Nina and she told me that I have a role there.”

“What role, exactly?”

“That I was assigned to be her informant in the lab in Angeles City, Pampanga. A clandestine drug lab, to be exact.”

“You were offered a reward if you complete her mission?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“What was a reward that she promised you?”

“Whatever I want, your Honor.”

“Can you remember specific rewards that she promised you?”

“A scholarship in England or Ireland, and that’s all I remember. Wait, I remember it now, ‘her body’ too.”

Everyone gasped and fell silent. Whispers abound the court as everyone who witnessed the case speculated whether she went lascivious to me. A seventy-year-old man got frustrated with the proceedings of the case as he tried to figure out why I fell for Nina’s schemes. He placed his fingertips on his temple and pressed his fingertips across his temple. “Hay, ano ba ‘tong batang ‘to? (What is this youngster doing?)”

“Tell us about her offering—to borrow _your phrasing_ —her body.”

I felt gripped by exhaustion, but I continued, “She gave me the reward of having ‘her body’ if I ‘so please’.”

“Then, what happened?”

“Nina left the room, around late morning, and after about 30 minutes of her not being in the hotel room, I got some souvenirs from the hotel, namely pencils, a ball pen and a notepad. That’s when I sneaked away from the hotel room and left the hotel premises.”

“No more questions from the prosecution?” Judge Monsod asked.

“No more, your Honor,” Attorney Tan answered.

Judge Monsod asked Attorney Peña, “Defense, do you have questions for the witness?”

Attorney Peña affirmed, “I do, your Honor.”

Judge Monsod ordered, “Proceed.”

Then Attorney Peña charged up to cross-examine me. The moment I saw his face, I remembered Attorney Tan’s advice. “Don’t get flustered by the defense. Stick to our version of the story so we don’t get embarrassed.”

“Do you know Nina Williams personally?”

“So, you were with my client on a mission she planned out?” Atty. Peña asked.

“No, your Honor. I have not gone out with her to execute the mission she laid out,” I replied briskly.

Attorney Peña continued in a confident but pressuring tone, “I see. You said ‘yes’ to her offer for the mission she gave you?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

Attorney Tan’s face suddenly flushed red and sweat buds formed over his face. He said under his breath, “Hay nako, matatalo tayo nina (Attorney) Peña nito… (Oh no, I think (Attorney) Peña could beat us here…)” Meanwhile, Attorney Peña was still cross-examining me.

Nina sighed in relief, with slight nodding. “Ha, so he said yes to me after all. Ha!”

“Have you understood the terms that she gave you when she briefed you on that mission?”

“I do not know, your Honor.”

“But you recall the terms of the mission, yes?”

“I do, your Honor.”

“After realizing that you slept with Nina in the hotel room, you went out of that room in the morning of May 28, right?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

Attorney Tan felt that the tension of the cross-examination was winding down. He remarked, “Pagkakataon na natin ito, Godwyn, (This is our chance, Godwyn)” as Attorney Peña was not able to ask one question after a while.

“No more questions from the defense?” Judge Monsod asked.

“No more questions, your Honor.”

“Prosecutor, do you have any re-direct?” Judged Monsod asked Attorney Tan.

“Yes, your Honor.”

Then came more of Attorney Tan’s questions. “Mr. Witness, so you said ‘Yes’ to Nina’s offer that you join her mission?”

Knowing that Attorney Tan was the one asking, I was able to clear my mind and think calmly amidst the charged environment of the court. “Your Honor, I would answer the ques—”

Then Attorney Peña sternly exclaimed, “Objection, your Honor! This was established in a question earlier raised.”

Attorney Tan countered the objection of Attorney Peña, “Your Honor, if I may continue, the relevance of this may be revealed.”

“Overruled. The witness may answer,” went Judge Monsod.

“Your Honor, may it please the court that I would explain my answer.”

Judge Monsod replied, “You may qualify your answer.”

“Yes, your Honor, I said ‘Yes’ to Nina; however, I was not aware that I said such a thing as I was overcome by a sexual urge…” then one members of the court audience attempted to confront Nina.

Kuya Manuel, A 32-year-old Jollijeep stall owner who attended the hearing bolted out of his seat on the court audience side and charged himself towards Nina. He shouted, “WALANG HIYA KA!” while he stormed to Nina and he tried punching her from behind. Nina did a hand chop to disarm him while not looking at him. Then, Kuya Manuel felt a crushing pain to his right shoulder. Having fallen with a loud banging thud, he winced in crushing pain. 

Everyone in court looked at this man in pity and awe. Even the judge saw him wince in pain and the court barrier in disarray. Still, Nina was oblivious to the man she injured.

A few seconds of stale air ensued. 

“WALA KANG KONSENSYA!” cursed Kuya Manuel in a sharp, enraged voice, pointing to Nina with an outstretched finger. Quickly Kuya Manuel stood up and returned to his seat with the help of court ushers, even if he was nursing an injured right shoulder.

Then, one by one, more and more members of the court audience rushed and swarmed at Nina, ready to hurl curses. Court security, however restrained all the members of the audience who wanted to hurl their curses to Nina. The swarming became a noisy commotion filled with curses and people raging at Nina. The noise in court was overwhelming as the sober, quiet trial descended into chaos. A trial by fury, as seen.

Anna was there, fanning herself arrogantly and tilting her head. “Hmph, serves you right, Nina! Serves you right!”

Judge Monsod ordered, “Order! Order! Order in the court!” while banging her gavel strongly and loudly. After saying “Order!” would Judge Monsod bang her gavel by briefly thudding it on the striking board while the court security officials restrained all the members of the court audience. Thereafter, the rowdy audience settled down. Then the trial proceeded.

“No more question for re-direct?” Judge Monsod asked, looking at Attorney Tan.

“No more questions, your Honor,” went Attorney Tan.

Judge Monsod asked me to step down from the witness stand and I was ushered back to the table allotted for the prosecution side.


	8. Sibling Rivalry IV: The Chemist’s Testimony

Attorney Tan requested, “With the permission of the Honorable Court, may I call the second witness, your Honor?”

Judge Monsod answered, “Call in your next witness, counsel.”

Attorney Tan introduced the next witness, “Our second witness is a forensic chemist who tested the salty substance in the gum that the first witness has tasted. He is Lemuel Musico.”

Then the forensic chemist who examined the gum was sworn in, followed by a direct examination by Atty. Tan.

Attorney Tan started, “Please state your name and circumstances.”

Lemuel began, “Your Honor, I am Lemuel Musico, a Chemist, 43 years old. I am currently a practicing chemist in a private forensics laboratory for about 15 years, in Musico Labs to be exact.”

“When did you take your Chemist Licensure Exam?”

“I took it in the year 1995, your Honor.” went Mr. Musico.

“What do you do in Musico Labs?”

“We conduct independent forensic chemical tests, in assisting criminal investigations, your Honor.”

“About how many times have you testified as an expert witness in a drug possession case?”

“This is my first time to testify in this capacity, your Honor.”

He began to ask, “Mr. Witness, how do you know that the chewing gum contained barbital?”

“Your Honor, I did a spot test called the Dille-Koppanyi test. This test is used to determine the presence of barbiturates.”

“What were the results of the spot test?”

“The presumptive test results are in Exhibit B, as marked.”

“What does your report say on the said chewing gum?”

The chemist-witness replied pointing to the image of the chewing gum, “This is the chewing gum that he took,” then he pointed towards the spot testing plate he used. “As you can see here, your Honor, the spot tests yielded a purple color which suggest that a barbital may be present.”

“So, you suspected the presence of barbiturates?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“What specific barbiturate was it?”

“Sodium thiopental, your Honor.”

“How did you know that it was sodium thiopental?”

“We subjected the sample to a liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry analysis, or LC-MS following Exhibit C. Using mass spectrometry can help us identify the substance in question and the fragmentation patterns can help us on identifying the structure of the compound in question. We checked the mass spectrum of the sample and we identified the fragmentation patterns are consistent with sodium thiopental.”

“So, the chewing gum submitted for analysis contained sodium thiopental?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

After direct examination, Atty. Peña questioned the chemist who analyzed the chewing gum, which by this time, was drugged as I know it.

Attorney Peña began his rapid-fire questioning, “So, the sample of the chewing gum given to you did not come fresh?”

“Yes, the chewing gum sample was not fresh, your Honor,” replied Mr. Musico.

“So, even if the sample was _not fresh_ , you still had to have it tested?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“How old was the sample that you tested when you received it?”

“Five to six months, your Honor.”

“So, the sample was about five to six months old. Did you still test the chewing gum for the presence of barbital?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“How so?”

“Per the procedure of our laboratory, we test samples as they are received. We take account of the conditions of the sample _as received_ and then we do the test as the client requests. In the case of the chewing gum that was tested, we conducted the Dille-Koppanyi test and the LC-MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) test. Even if the sample was subjected to the conditions as stated, the chemical tests yielded for barbiturates, sodium pentothal, your Honor.”

“What brand is the chewing gum?”

“It is iCool, your Honor.”

“Ah, the blue one?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“You also did a control test for sodium pentothal for this chewing gum? Explain.”

“Yes, but that was _after_ testing the ¼ chewing gum that my client gave earlier. We tested a sample of this as the positive control. We have found that the iCool chewing gum obtained from a supermarket had no _detectable_ levels of sodium pentothal.”

Attorney Peña was running out of questions and he let out a sigh. Silence followed.

“No more questions?” Judge Monsod asked.

“No more questions for cross, your Honor,” replied Attorney. Peña.

Attorney Tan wrapped up, “We are through with the presentation of all our witnesses, your Honor.”

Judge Monsod asked, “Any additional questions or comments from the defense?”

Attorney Peña replied, “None, your Honor.”

Attorney Tan concluded, “Your Honor, the People rest their case,” followed by him sitting down.


	9. Sibling Rivalry V: Nina’s Testimony

Judge Monsod asked, “Is the defense ready for this case?”

Attorney Peña affirmed so.

Judge Monsod ordered, “Bring in the first witness from the defense side,”

Nina was sworn in by the court interpreter and then her lawyer did a direct examination of her.

“Please state your name and personal circumstances.” Attorney Peña began.

“I am Nina Williams, 47 years old, of Irish ancestry, and I am currently an undercover agent.”

“How did you meet the man named Godwyn I— L—?”

“I met him on May 7th this year in Greenbelt 4.”

“How was he involved in your mission?”

“I tasked him to become a spy to a clandestine laboratory in Angeles City, Pampanga.”

“How did you involve him in your mission in the first place?”

“I offered him the said job while he stayed with me in a hotel room in Ascott Makati.”

“So, he accepted your offer?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“Then, please tell the Court what happened after he accepted your offer.”

Nina told her version of the events thus, “After he accepted my offer, I went out of the hotel at around 10:50 AM so I can stroll around the malls around Makati, especially Greenbelt 4 and 5 while he stayed inside the hotel room. After that, I had lunch at Greenbelt 4 and I went back to my room in Ascott Hotel. Room 637 to be exact. When I went back to my hotel room at 12:45 PM, all I saw were bedsheets neatly done, hotel collectibles gone, and no one else in the room but me.”

“After that?”

“Godwyn was gone.”

With Attorney Peña not knowing what to ask, he remained silent. Then, Attorney Tan was tense, eager to bolt out of his seat to turn Nina over to the justice system.

“No more questions from the defense?” Judge Monsod asked.

“No more question from the defense, your Honor.”

Then, Attorney Tan cross-examined Nina. Knowing that Nina can stay cool (or cold, even), he tested her by walking around the space fronting the judges table.

Attorney Tan began calmly, “Was Godwyn with you on the morning of May 28th?”

Nina replied, coldly and calmly, “Yes, your Honor.”

“On the morning of May 28, Godwyn accepted your offer voluntarily, is that right?” while walking around.

“Yes, your Honor.”

“Did you _coerce him_ in any way to accept your offer?” That question should make Nina stumble in responding.

“No, your Honor.”

“You gave him rewards for joining your mission, right?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“What were the rewards that you offered him?”

“One of them is, ‘my body’, your Honor.”

A few of the members of the court audience whispered speculations to each other.

Kuya Robert, a 28-year-old, whispered to his friend, “Pare, parehas silang nakakahiya! (Both of them should be ashamed of themselves here!)”

Kuya Robert’s friend went, “Ikaw, parang alam mo ang nangyari sa kanila ah? Malakas ang kutob kong iyong Britong babae ang may kasalanan nito eh! (You, it’s like you know what happened to them, ah? I have a strong hunch that the British woman was at fault!)”

Nina barely cracked under the pressure of cross-examination, even if Attorney Tan asked embarrassing questions.

“I see. On the evening of May 27th, you ate dinner with him at Din Tai Fung in Greenbelt 4, is that right?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“You gave him a chewing gum on the evening that you were together, yes?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

Then, Attorney Tan ramped up the tension of the questioning by asking in a pressuring tone. “Were you aware that the gum contained sodium pentothal?”

“No, your Honor.”

“Do you _even know_ what the gum contained apart from the gum itself?”

“No, your Honor.”

Nina remained calm, answering questions in her cold, candid manner. Her voice was icy, sending a chilling message to the prosecution lawyer that she did no crime.

“Do you _even_ know the effects of sodium thiopental?” Attorney Tan asked, pressuring Nina to admit her crime.

Attorney Peña shouted “Objection, your Honor! Irrelevant question and argumentative!”

Judge Monsod sustained the objection.

“You were not able to see the complainant in the afternoon of May 28th, correct?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

Then came a few seconds of silence, with Attorney Tan running out of questions.

“No more questions from the prosecution?” Judge Monsod asked.

“No more questions, your Honor.”

After the ordeal of being put on the witness stand, Nina was asked to go back to the table allotted for the defense.

“The defense rests its case,” Attorney Peña concluded, then he sat down on the table allotted for the defense. Nina and Attorney Peña went looked at each other, with Nina feeling tense even if her face looked cold and calm. With her lawyer sensing her tension, he gave her an assuring look as if to say, “Let’s hope for the best here, Nina.”

Then the court set the schedule for imposing the verdict on Nina, with the court clerk asking the defense side, “Defense, when will you prefer to schedule the final judgment?”

Attorney Peña replied, “Your Honor, we pray that the final judgment be scheduled on December 7 at 9:00 AM.”

The court clerk asked us, from the prosecution side, “Are you available at this schedule, prosecution?”

Attorney Peña replied firmly on our behalf, “Yes, your Honor.”

Then Judge Monsod requested, “Please be seated.”

Then the court clerk handed papers for both prosecution (that is, our) side and the defense side. Upon reading that thin pile of paper, I asked Attorney Tan what this paper was.

He whispered, “The papers that we are being asked to sign right now are for the evidence. If we know that they are true and relevant, we sign them. Because we trust that the pieces of evidence we presented on our side are true to the best we know, we sign that paper. Me first…” then he signed the court papers first. He whispered again, “Godwyn, pagka-pirma mo, ipasa mo itong papel sa kaliwa mo, kay Lemuel, ha? (Godwyn, after signing, pass this paper to Lemuel, OK?)”

I whispered back, “Opo, Attorney. (Yes, Attorney).”


	10. Sibling Rivalry VI: The Verdict

December 7th. The day of Nina's judgment. There lies the question, will the court prove her guilty?

On my end, I arrived at the lounge near the court at 8:30 AM, with Attorney Tan welcoming me.

"Attorney Tan!" I greeted as I sat down the sofa in the lounge. With me sitting on the leftmost end of the sofa he sat on the rightmost end. Then he invited me to come closer to him, but I chose to sit on the middle.

He barely noticed me, but after a few seconds he greeted me, "How are you?"

I replied, "I'm OK. Thanks."

Then, Attorney Tan asked, "May problema po kayo? (Do you have a problem?)"

I replied, "Ang takot ko po kasi Attorney eh, mapawalang-sala si Nina. (My fear, Attorney, is that Nina might be acquitted.)"

He heard the anguish in my response, knowing that the case has gone so far as presenting expert testimony. Deep inside, I knew that presenting expert testimony will not guarantee a guilty plea to Nina. All he could do is stay silent and look at me in the eye, followed by shaking his head. He grounded my thinking by saying, "We already presented the best evidence we could find. Let's hope for the best, in the sense that Nina gets convicted. However, don't put your hopes sky high."

After Attorney Tan's words struck me, I sighed. Then Anna came in which took me by surprise. Perhaps she wore the same dress as she wore during the trial. Plus, she bragged, "Hey there! I had my Ferragamo bag repaired. It looks good as new." (Come the verdict, Nina would be wearing her black catsuit; yes, that catsuit that she wears in Tekken 7 when she was second-in-command to Heihachi Mishima.)

Seeing her new bag, I laughed, shaking off the tension that came with anticipating the verdict.

I laughed her off, "What? That's like, about a large partof my monthly salary! Anna, the heck you got the bag repaired?"

She continued with her braggadocio, "Why, don't you want to look presentable as always?"

I dismissed her, "Whatever, Anna. At least you got your stuff done, right?"

I checked my watch. It was 8:47 AM. Attorney Tan invited me and Mr. Musico (who just came) to go to the court room already to hear the final verdict of Nina's case. Anna followed but quite far behind ensuring that she finds her seat on the court audience.

Then, 8:55 AM. I was seated on the right next to him on the prosecution table, with Mr. Musico on the left. While waiting for Judge Monsod to arrive, I saw a solemn, empty court audience area which will seat but one guest: the sister of the accused. Perhaps no one wanted to go to court that day.

Then, 9:00 AM sharp. Judge Monsod came to court and the court interpreter asked us to rise.

Judge Monsod asked us to be seated. Then, her voice echoed throughout the courtroom. I wonder why, but the environment of the court on verdict day was silent, solemn but still tense. Judge Monsod asked the court interpreter to read the verdict, slowly and solemnly.

"The court has established in Criminal Case Number 874200 that on _ground of reasonable doubt_ , the accused, Nina Williams, has been acquitted—"

As soon as I heard the word "acquitted", I clenched my fists and pulled my hair using my clenched fists, followed by crumpling my face and shaking my head. I uttered under my breath, "How could this be?"

While I was about to explode in fury, the court interpreter continued reading the verdict, "of these charges, namely: Act of lasciviousness without consent, slight illegal detention and possession of dangerous drugs. So ordered."

Then the court session adjourned. The court session may be brief, but it left a dent that I cannot erase—in my memory and in my consciousness, it won't go.

The second the word "acquitted" replayed in my mind, I fumed in rage, a rage that won't leave me until the second or third day after Nina being acquitted of her crime.

Nina, on her end, sensed this solemn verdict reading as her victory; shaking hands with her defense lawyer, Attorney Peña.

Attorney Peña was ecstatic, grinning widely and said to himself, "We did it, Nina!" followed by shaking her hand.

Nina was excited, but she still had a flat face. Her expression suggests relief instead of joy. Then she shook Attorney Peña's hand, "We did it nice and easy, Attorney. I knew that him bringing me to court would be his knee-jerk reaction." (Nina was thinking, "I knew all along that he can't resist me. I'm everything he wants, if not for crime.")

She wanted to seduce me to recruit me _as her accomplice again_ , thinking that she could get away with her scheme. 

Anna, on the other hand, was staring sharply at her with her eyebrows crossed. She mused, "Ah, Nina! Here you go again."

After Judge Monsod laid down her verdict and she adjourned the court session. I sat with Anna and I told her in an acrid, urgent tone, "I think we need to talk this over before we leave!"

Anna gave me one final warning. "Call me any time if my sister is bugging you. Whatever happens, I'll find a way out for you. But, be extra careful in taking calls." A few moments later, Nina, touched my shoulder gently, followed by her whispering, "You think you'll run away from me? Don't be sure with Anna... you'll never know what you're running into... See ya!" followed by a gesture resembling a flying kiss and the Evil Mist move in the Rabid T. Nina's exit gesture infuriated me.

From that day on, I had this lynching fear that the seemingly stoic seductress will get me back to her loop. By heck, would I even trust Anna? Each choice thereafter would be darn ugly!


End file.
